Reread Paul Graham’s 2004 “The Age of the Essay” this weekend. What a gem. Over 20 years old but still so relevant.

My 3 favourite takeaways / quotes

1) “An essay doesn't begin with a statement, but with a question. In a real essay, you don't take a position and defend it. You notice a door that's ajar, and you open it and walk in to see what's inside.”

2) “If there's one piece of advice I would give about writing essays, it would be: don't do as you're told. Don't believe what you're supposed to. Don't write the essay readers expect; one learns nothing from what one expects. And don't write the way they taught you to in school.”

3) “People trying to be cool will find themselves at a disadvantage when collecting surprises. To be surprised is to be mistaken.”

TL;DR: Write as though you know nothing then rediscover through the process of putting words down.